-
New MN House bills checking regulators would benefit mines
When Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Daudt (R-Crown) announced the formation of the Mining and Outdoor Recreation Policy Committee, and then stacked it with GOPers and mining-focused Iron Range DFLers it was plain Republicans had plans to advance pro-mining legislation this session. I commented on this for a Briana Bierschbach story today in MinnPost. I’ve also argued that such legislation will not likely…
-
IRRRB to consider further Range broadband expansion
The Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) will meet tomorrow in St. Paul to discuss an investment in broadband technology on the Range and funds for the Giants Ridge Event Center. Coming on the heels of about $2 million in state money for broadband infrastructure announced last week, the IRRRB will now consider an…
-
The seasonal alchemy of frozen septics
Modern heating technology and time-tested knowhow makes living in Northern Minnesota much easier than it was for our ancestors. Sure, the harsh winter conditions might cause a few angry comments on social media (we get it, your face hurts). True, the cold creates real danger in certain situations, especially if people fail to wear adequate clothing or face other…
-
Tomassoni declines RAMS job amid controversy
This morning State Sen. David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm) announced that he would decline the position of Executive Director of the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools amid the continuing controversy over potential conflicts of interest. Sen. Tomassoni issued this statement: “Today the Campaign Finance Board issued the advisory opinion I requested relating to my role at RAMS.…
-
Getting ‘Happy’ on the Iron Range
Because it’s Friday and because I’ve been so dang grumpy lately, here are the students and staff of Tower-Soudan Elementary doing a music video for “Happy” by Pharrell Williams: Have you heard this song before? Yes. Has this kind of video been done before? Yes. But I still share and recommend this work of art as anthropological…
-
Al Michaels talks smack about Twins crowds
NBC commentator Al Michaels recently reiterated his past allegations that the 1987 World Champion Minnesota Twins pumped fake crowd noise into the late Metrodome to confound opposing teams. This Kevin Cusack story in the St. Paul Pioneer Press tells the tale: “Minnesota’s in the World Series against St. Louis, and it was ridiculously loud,” Michaels…
-
‘Symptom of a corrupt system, but a public symptom’
The following is a guest post sent to me by Paul Ojanen, a longtime reader of the blog and Iron Range environmental scientist for St. Louis County. He’s been involved with local DFL politics off and on for a long time. I’m sharing Paul’s op-ed at his request because it takes a broader point of view…
-
Oh captains, my captains, swarm Duluth
With the Great Lakes shipping season on its annual winter furlough, the port of Duluth, Minnesota, is hosting a national convention of ship captains starting today. The International Ship Masters’ Association is “North America’s largest fraternal organization of vessel Captains, Crewman and Executives, with local lodges in the primary ports of the Great Lakes.” The…
-
RAMS board members plan reform, but no action yet
The Range Association of Municipalities and Schools board held a special meeting last night to reorganize and discuss its appointment of Sen. David Tomassoni as executive director. RAMS is a lobbying organization that advocates for units of local government on Northern Minnesota’s Iron Range. Many at the Capitol and in the media, including me, have been…
-
Laskiainen Finnish Sliding Festival in Palo this weekend
This is an older post about Laskiainen. Click here for the 2016 information. This weekend, Feb. 7-8, the 78th Annual Laskiainen Finnish Sliding Festival will be held near the Loon Lake Community Center in downtown Palo, Minnesota. This annual Iron Range winter tradition originated with Finnish immigrants who settled places like Palo after they were…
-
MN House hearing on non-ferrous mining today
Today at 2:45 p.m., the House Committee on Mining and Outdoor Recreation will hold an “informational hearing” on non-ferrous mining. When Republicans took over the State House after the 2014 election, some questioned the name and unusual structure of this committee. As I wrote, it appeared designed to serve the specific political aims of putting Republicans…
-
Several Range-area communities to receive broadband
Lt. Gov. Tina Smith will be on the Iron Range today to announce $2.3 million in broadband grants for communities around the Iron Range. I’ve written recently about the slow warming to the economic potential of broadband here, where I’ve long argued the tremendous potential for entrepreneurship and education that this technology presents. Today’s announcement is…
-
Grin and Bear it: Ely to host beard contest
This week brings Winter Fest to the unique northern environs of Ely, Minnesota. A mining town filled with hippies? Or a hippie town obsessed with mining? You never can tell, but this little burg sure has a lot going on if you know where to look. In this case, you’ll see snow sculptures in the city park in the Feb. 5-15…
-
IRRRB, DEED lose public cash in stock deal
On Sunday, the Duluth News Tribune published a John Myers story detailing a public investment in an Iron Range nonferrous mining project that cost two state agencies half a million dollars. The IRRRB and DEED each lost about $284,000 when Antofagasta took control of the Ely project, now called Twin Metals. The loss came after…
-
Tomassoni can’t have it both ways with RAMS job
If you haven’t heard yet, the duly elected State Senator from the Iron Range, David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm), recently announced he would take a job as Executive Director of the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools (RAMS) while continuing to serve in the Senate. RAMS is a public influence group that helps Range cities and schools…